IBM Corp. on Monday unveiled free developer resources for Cloudscape, a small-footprint, Java-based database that the company recently contributed to the Apache Software Foundation as an open source project.
Resources available at www.ibm.com/developerWorks/cloudscape will include articles, technical advice, sample code, and a free downloadable version of Cloudscape code, according to IBM.
Cloudscape was acquired by IBM when it bought Informix Software and has only a 2MB footprint. It can be deployed in a range of embedded applications. IBM on Aug. 3 announced it was contributing the database to Apache, where the database is now referred to as Derby.
While IBM says it is looking to spur innovation in Java development by donating the database, IBM’s Kathy Mandelstein, director of worldwide developer marketing and Rational marketing programs, acknowledged that use of the database might also entice a developer to acquire IBM commercial products such as WebSphere Application Developer or the DB2 database.
“(Derby) is a basis that (developers) can build their application on with our other middleware,” Mandelstein said.
Among the resources being made available by IBM are a technical overview of Cloudscape, Version 10.0; an article on integrating Cloudscape with the Tomcat Java servlet container; an article on the Java class path; and a compendium of frequently asked questions. Additionally, IBM will hold a Webcast on Sept. 8 to educate developers on Cloudscape. A code exchange for exchanging code with developers also is planned for the September timeframe.